


When We Met

by ElisaPhoenix



Series: A Tevinter Altus and his Pseudo Sister [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 15:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18346376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisaPhoenix/pseuds/ElisaPhoenix
Summary: A small snippet of when Dorian finds Elisa.





	When We Met

Dorian didn’t know what he was thinking when he approached the rift _by himself_. He was doing it in the first place because he caught a glimpse of someone wounded underneath said rift and couldn’t bring himself to walk away and pretend he didn’t see anything. He may be from Tevinter, but he was not as heartless as many of his fellow countrymen. It was the whole reason he was in the South in the first place. Someone from the Imperium had to do the right thing.

Doing the right thing apparently consisted of forming a wall of lightning that would keep demons away long enough for him to hurry over to the wounded person and drag them away. When he did approach them, he faltered momentarily when he found a _girl_. Just from what he could see, she was at least a decade younger than him, and her wounds were not something he had seen before.

Dorian curses when a demon begins breaking through his magic wall and he quickly pulls the mystery girl to her feet when he—thankfully—realizes she was still conscious. At least enough that she could help him get her far enough away from the rift, she was sure to pass out soon from blood loss though.

The mage throws one of her arms over his shoulders. “Do _not_ pass out or we are both dead.”

The girl says nothing and Dorian wastes no more time in helping her away from the rift as quickly as possible. The tears seemed to have a range, and outside of it was the mage’s top priority. The demons wouldn’t chase them beyond it, and if his burden at least managed that far, he could focus on her wounds without the threat of being torn to pieces.  
To his surprise though, she managed to stay awake long enough for Dorian to get her to his makeshift camp, and only passed out when the mage laid her in his tent. After casting a barrier around the camp, Dorian returns his attention to the wounded girl and begins the process of cleaning her injuries.

Only for her to lash out and punch him in the ribs.

Dorian groans loudly when his bones crack beneath her fist and he inhales sharply as he waits for the initial pain to pass. So now not only did he need to tend to her, he needed to heal his own broken ribs. The girl was still unconscious despite the sudden attack and Dorian assumed it was a learned instinct. He wouldn’t hold it against her.

“Please don’t snap my neck. I am trying to help.”

To his relief, when he continued with his previous task, the girl did not attack him again. So he finished his task as hastily as possible, healed her, and then backed out of the tent to tend to his own injuries. Mending his own ribs was a delicate task and it took him until nightfall to heal himself. He had to take breaks to rest and restore his mana as healing the stranger took up most of it, and he only mended his ribs. The bruises he figured he could endure and let heal on their own. Now, he was famished. Dorian had plenty of dried rations, but a somewhat proper meal would be better. Both for him and his young charge. She would probably be hungry when she woke up. Dorian winces as he sits on the log by the fire, throws dinner over the fire, and pulls a book out of his bag to read by firelight. He wanted to appear as nonthreatening as possible, and he was also extremely bored. 

It took another hour for the girl to wake and exit his tent, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when red eyes look in his direction. Wonderful. He had either saved a demon or someone infected with red lyrium.

Dorian slowly puts his book down and holds his hands up toward her. “Demon or lyrium?”

When the girl continues to stare at him, he sighs and gets to his feet and then pauses when she takes a step back. A demon would not have shown fear so red lyrium was his next assumption, except her eyes didn’t show the haze most infected people had. Her body was also free of any other physical symptoms. The song people spoke of was also absent.

“Are your eyes normally that color?” The ravenette continues with her silence and Dorian raises an eyebrow. “Not much for conversation are you?”

The necromancer sighs and turns toward the fire to fill a couple of bowls with the soup he had made. It was mostly broth, but it did have some meat and vegetables. He learned to make do with what he had. Dorian turns and offers one of the bowls to her and waits patiently as she eyes the soup skeptically, then taking the presented food slowly. She probably came to the conclusion that if Dorian wanted to hurt her, he would have done so already.

“Good choice. Dried meat gets boring.”

He returns to his spot on one end of the log while simultaneously hiding his pained wince from her, and turns his attention to his meal. Dorian had left the other half of the log open for her, and if she did decide to take his silent offer, there would still be some space between them that she seemed to want. The girl did take the spot on the other side and dug into her own meal silently, and the pair silently watches the flames in front of them crackle. Silence so unnerving that Dorian had to fill the void.

“Dorian Pavus. Recently of the Tevinter Imperium.” He glances at the younger from the corner of his eye and then fully when he finds a furrowed brow. “You…don’t know what I’m talking about do you?”

That was definitely strange. _Everyone_ knew of Tevinter. Granted, it was usually negative, but she didn’t give the impression that she knew of his country. Maybe she had amnesia.

“Never mind. You should get some rest after you finish eating. We will go into Redcliffe tomorrow and get some more supplies.” Dorian looks over her ensemble and frowns at the torn and burned material. “And some new clothes. If you plan to stay that is.”

All he got in response was more silence.  
*************

It took two weeks for his acquaintance to finally say something and she had stepped up behind him so quietly that he didn’t notice her presence.

“Elisa.”  
The mage jumps in the middle of searching through his bag and looks over his shoulder at the ravenette. “ _Venhedis_. We’re getting you a bell.” He exhales sharply. “What was that?”  
“My name.”  
“Ah. I was beginning to wonder if you were mute. How are your injuries?”  
“Better.”  
Dorian stands, turns fully to her and motions toward her abdomen. Where the worst of her wounds had been. “May I?”

Elisa nods and removes her top enough for him to examine what’s left of her injuries. Dorian was aware of her aversion to being touched, so he made sure to always ask before doing so. She only seemed to tolerate his touch whenever he asked or when they shared his bedroll, and he believed that the younger was distrustful of strangers. Elisa had obviously been through some kind of trauma.

She didn’t seem bothered by his magic at least.

Dorian heals the remaining wounds and tosses the soiled bandages into the fire as she pulls her tunic back down. “I will feel better if you rested a few more days.”  
“Where exactly are we?”  
“The Hinterlands. I came looking for an old mentor of mine in Redcliffe.”  
“And?”  
The mage pulls some dried meat out of his bag and offers some to Elisa, who takes it with quiet thanks. “Do you remember when I asked you to wait by the merchant?” The younger nods. “I went looking for him but I discovered he has dealings with the Venatori. I left before he knew I was even there. I will have nothing to do with those cultists.”  
“What now?”  
Dorian looks at Elisa with surprise. “You are staying?”  
“If that’s okay. I don’t…really have anywhere else to go.”  
Dorian sets his bag inside the tent with a shrug. “We wait. I’ve heard rumors of an Inquisition, so we’ll decide what to do next once we know what they’re doing. Something about that breach I hope.”

The two look up at the giant green hole in the sky.  
**********

It took another two weeks for Dorian to completely earn Elisa’s trust. He no longer had to ask permission to touch her and she spoke more with him. Anytime they went into Redcliffe for more supplies though, she stuck to his side and said nothing. It was like that wherever they went. He did the talking and bartering, and she was unintentionally the intimidation. Her looks and silence put most people on edge and Dorian took advantage of that. At least with the food vendors. They were always trying to upsell him because of his Tevinter origins.

At the end of those two weeks, Felix bumped into them and told Dorian of his father’s plans and of the Inquisition’s imminent arrival. It also didn’t take very long for the fellow Tevinter to notice Elisa’s presence.

“Who is she?”  
“A friend.” Elisa’s eyes widen and Felix smiles.   
“I’m glad you found one down here.” He coughs and Dorian frowns.   
“You had better get back to your father. No doubt he is looking for you.”  
“Be careful Dorian.”  
The necromancer nods and leads Elisa out of Redcliffe and back towards their camp when she glances back toward the village. “Is he sick?”  
“The Blight,” Dorian answers quietly. “There is no cure.”  
“Oh…I’m sorry.”

They arrive back at their encampment where Dorian turns on his heel to face his partner.

“I will be going back to the village tomorrow. I want you to stay here.”  
“What? I can help—”  
Elisa huffs when Dorian holds up a hand to silence her. “I know, but Alexius is not the man I knew him to be. He seems desperate and I don’t know what he will do. Joining with the Venatori is already a surprise to me.”  
“I don’t understand why I can’t come though.”  
“You are still recovering…” At Elisa’s unconvinced frown he sighs. “Alexius doesn’t even know I’m here. I just want to keep you safe.”

The ravenette sighs and grumbles her relent and Dorian pulls her into a hug, which she temporarily freezes at before eventually relaxing. A month of her company and he was already attached. Elisa was the friend he desperately needed in Ferelden’s unfamiliar landscape, and it helped that she wasn’t any more familiar with the land. She was so far the one good (permanent) thing he had and he wasn’t about to throw her into potential danger if he could help it. Not now at least. Bandits were one thing, mage cultists were another.

“If you tell anyone I hugged you, I will deny it. Evil magister and all of that nonsense.”  
“Who am I going to tell?”

Dorian answers with a chuckle.


End file.
